Capping machine



Jan. 12, 1954 R. B. BAGBY 2,665,832

CAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20. 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Jan. 12, 1954 R. B. BAGBY 2,665,832

CAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Z0

Patented Jan. 12, 1954 UNITED STAT angle Package Machinery Company,

Chicago,

Ill., a corporation, of Illinois Application November 20,1948; Serial N611254 4. Claims.

The present invention relates to capping machines and more particularlyto: machines. for installing covers on. containers. Machines of thistypemay be used for installing various types of. covers on different kindsof containers. Where the container is made of paper or similar lightweight material difiiculties are frequently. encountered in firmlyseating the cover without collapsing the container. This is the caseparticularly where the container is provided with an internal cap seatin the form". of a groove positioned below the lip of the container.

It is, therefore, an object of the present inventionto provide a capperwhich will firmly 1nsta-ll covers on containers while applying a minimumamount of pressure to the cover and container.

It is another object to provide a capper in which. the caps are movedindividually into position: for installation.

It is a. further object toprovide a: capper. which will install a capwith a minimum amount of pressure on cap seat positioned below arestricted throat in the container and which has a smaller diameter thanthe. cap;

It is another object to provide a capper wherein caps are individuallyfed into position for installationfrom a source of supply. in whichsprings or similar means are not required to maintain the caps inposition for feeding.

With these and various other objects in View, the invention may consistof certain novel features, as will be more fully described and"particularlypointed out in the specification, drawings and claimsappended hereto.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters are used todesignate like parts- Figure l is a fragmentary elevation showing acapper embodying the invention in one position or its cycle;

Figure-2 is a top .in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing the capper in another positionof its cycle; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44' of Figure 3.

In the drawings, a hand operated capper is shown mounted on a top plateEE'which may be supported in any: suitable manner; such as by end platesi i and aback plate It. Top plate i2 has an opening throughwhich arisingtable 58 may move. The table is flush withthe" top'plate when iii-itsloweredpesition; as shownin Figure 1; The table is shown in'iitselevatedpositionin plan view of the ca-pper shown Figure-3.. Table l8'isprovided with a down- 2 wardlyextending slide 25 which is mounted in theguides 22 secured to the back plate $52.

Table l Bis raised and'lowered' bymoving lever 2d which is connected bylinks to the lower. end of slide-2t. Any means, manual or power.operated, may be used: for raising and lowering table it. The machine isparticularly suited for operation in conjunction with a containerdispenser and filler, in which event the'table; actuating mechanismmay-be drivenhy and'synchronized with the dispenser.

Shaft 23 is mounted in bearings Zs'secured to the under surface of topplate I 2; Hand-lever? 24 is mounted on shaft 25 which is connected byarm 353 and link 32' to one end of rocker 3t. Bearings 36 which supportrocker it"arersecured to the under surface of top plate 52: LihliI38connects the other end of rocker i l towslide: 2B. Downward movement ofhand lever 24* raises table It to the position shown in Figured;-

A post as ismounted on top plate l2 andh'as a-laterally extendingsupporting arm 42on=which the upper end or" plunger rod li is supported.A- spring d3 is positioned on the plunger rod $4 between'the top ofsleeve 58 and supporting'arm 2 2. The plunger is secured to supportingarin 52 by a nut t? and washer 55 and is permitted slight verticalmovement with respect to thearm. The springtends to absorb vibration inthe event the sleeve is moved upwardly against yoke 46 an excess amountbut, for the purposesof operation, it may be said that plunger it ismounted in fixed relation to arm i2. Feed cap yoke-4'6 is mounted onplunger rod MS in fixed relation thereto.

The capper body having a sleeve it is slidably mounted on the plungerrod i l. The lower end of sleeve is is provided with a spider 58 towhich the capper bell 52 is secured by screws 54. Adjacent spider 5tand, in the present embodiment, cast integrally with it, is cap tube 55.Adjacent the bell E52, and in part underlying the" cap tube-5t, theguide member 58 provides a track and support for slide it.

Slide cranks #52 are pivotally supported on" the upper portion of captube 55 by the pivot" screws 66 The cranks are pivotally connectedbylinks 68 to the ends of feed yoke 56'. The. lower ends of the cranks areconnected to cap slide yokev H! through linksv l2.

Guide member so, which is shownin cross sec.- tion in Figures 3 ands,extends, under-captube 56- and-provides the support. on whichthe caps 14rest. Al'ongitudinal slot l5 extendsthe length of the member which isprovided with ofiset portions I8 in its under face on both sides of theslot to accommodate the flanges 80 on slide 88. It is also provided withsimilar offset portions 82 in its upper surface to accommodate the flanes 84 on can slide plate 86. Cap slide 69 is secured to slide yoke 10 byscrew 88. Slide plate 86 is secured to slide 60 by screws 90.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the forward end 92 of slide plate 86projects beyond the flanges 84. The upper surface of this proiection 92is lower than the upper surface of the main portion of the slide plate86 and provides a shoulder 94 where it joins the main portion of theslide plate 86. This upper surface of projection 92 slopes downwardlytoward its forward end to the extent that it is below the plane of theupper surface of guide member 58. The depth of oilset portion 94 is lessthan the thickness of a single cap which the machine is designed toinstall. The rear portion of the upper surface of guide plate 86 isabove that of the upper surface of guide member 58.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the lower end of plunger 44 isprovided with a disc 96 which has a centrally disposed button orprojection 98 secured to its under face. It is contemplated, however,that the disc may be tapered or provided with other means for reducingthe diameter of the cap when being seated, all of which will become moreapparent as the operation of the machine is described.

In operation, the capper is initially in the position shown in Figure 1,with caps I4 in cap tube 56 which is provided with a cut-out portion I06to accommodate the pull-tabs onv the caps. In the event the container ismade of such lightweight material as to have a tendency to collapse whenbeing capped, a lifter may be provided to remove some of the pressurefrom the container. The lifter I88 shown in Figures 1 and 3 is avertical member mounted on the rising table I8 and positioned to engagethe outer flange of capper bell 52 when the table I8 is raised. Thelength of the lifter I88 is such that it engages the bell atapproximately the same time as the rim I02 of cup I08 engages theannular offset portion I IQ of hell 52 when table I8 is raised.

In order to move a cap from tube 56 into position for capping, handlever 24 is moved in the counter-clockwise direction which, in turn,moves arm 38 and link 32 which cause the connected end of rocker 34 tomove downwardly. The other end of rocker 34 moves upwardly and, throughlink 38, moves slide 20 upwardly in guides 22, together with table I8.Lifter I08 engages the outer edge of bell 52 which, through spider 56,moves sleeve 48 upwardly on plunger rod d4, together with guide 58 andtube 58.

Slide cranks 62 are likewise moved upwardly and the bottoms oflost-motion slots IIZ engage screws I I4 on links 88. Continued upwardmovement causes the lower ends of cranks 62 to move outwardly and,through links 12, move slide yoke I and slide 60 with slide plate 86. Asslide plate 86 moves from the position shown in Figure 1 to that shownin Figure 2, it passes through cap tube 56 under the caps 14. Stopmember H6 on guide 58 engages slide yoke III at approximately the sametime that sleeve H8 reaches feed cap yoke 46.

When hand lever 2d is moved in the clockwise direction, the movement ofthe various parts previously described is reversed. As the capper islowered by the table, the lost-motion slots II2 enable the capper bell52 and. cap tube 5.6 to be lowered to some extent with respect to disc96 before slide plate 86 starts to move. The sloping end 92 of slideplate 86 being below the upper surface of guide member 58 on which caps14 are supported, is underneath the bottom cap. As the slide plate ismoved toward the caps, the latter are raised by the sloping end 92 ofthe slide plate until ofiset portion 94 engages the edge of the bottomcap. Continued movement of the slide plate moves the bottom cap into theannular groove I26 between spider 50 and bell 52 where it is supportedin position for installation.

The depth of the ofiset portion 94 being less than the thickness of asingle cap, only one cap will be moved by the slide plate. The height ofthe sloping portion 92 adjacent the offset portion 94 being greater thanthat of the upper surface of guide member 58, the cap will be raised bythe slide plate and the weight of a cap or stack of caps will preventthe bottom cap from riding up over the offset portion 94. The slot I22at the bottom of the side wall of cap tube 58, which permits the bottomcap to be moved from the tube into groove I28, is of such a height thatonly one cap can be moved through it at the same time.

Stop member I24 on guide 58 is positioned to engage slide yoke I0 at thesame time as the cap is completely seated in groove I29, preventingslide plate 86 from crushing it against the walls of the groove.

A container or cup I60 may be placed on rising table !8 manually or bysuitable conveyor apparatus. The cup shown has a beaded or rolled lipI02 and an annular cap seat I04 in the form of a groove spaced from thelip. As hand lever 24 is moved downwardly, container IIII'I is movedupwardly into cap bell 52. The mouth of the bell positions the containerso that lip I02 engages ofiset portion III] of the bell. Atapproximately the same time, lifter I88 engages the outer portion of thebell.

Continued upward movement of table I8 moves the capper and cup to thepoint where the cap in groove I28 engages the under surface of disc 96.In the meantime, slide plate 86 has been moved outwardly so that thesloping end is not engaged by the disc 96. The cap is moved out ofgroove I20 by the disc and the container is moved upwardly until the capis seated, as shown in Figure 3.

Cap seat I84 has a greater diameter than the mouth of the container, asdoes the cap, and it is therefore necessary to use a certain amount ofpressure to force the cap past the restricted mouth of the container.The pressure of button 98 on the cap causes it to assume the contour ofa portion of the surface of a sphere, thereby reducing its diameter andpermitting it to pass through the restricted mouth of the container witha minimum amount of pressure. As the container is lowered from the disc,the cap then assumes its original shape and fits tightly in the capseat. During the lowering movement of the capper, slide plate 86 movesanother cap into groove I28, as previously described. The disc. 96 maybe shaped otherwise than shown to displace the central portion of thecap sufficiently to reduce its diameter when it engages the cap.

It is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited by theexact embodiment of the device shown, which is merely by way ofillustration and not limitation, as various other forms of the devicewill be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1, A container capper having a plunger, a support for said plunger, acap supply tube slidably mounted on said plunger, a disc on saidplunger, a rising table for moving a container toward said disc, alifter extending upwardly from the table for sliding said cap supplytube upwardly when said container is moved toward said disc, and a slidefor moving a cap from said cap supply tube to a position between saiddisc and said container when said rising table is moved to its loweredposition.

2. A container capper having a plunger, 2. support for said plunger, acap supply tube slidably mounted on said plunger and having capstherein, a disc on said plunger, a rising table for moving a containertoward said caps, a lifter extending upwardly from the table and abovethe container for sliding said tube upwardly, a slide on said tube,actuating members for said slide connected to said plunger and saidslide for moving said slide under said caps when said holder is beingraised and for causing said slide to engage the bottom cap and move itto a position between said disc and a container when said holder islowered.

3. In a container capper, a support, a cap-seating member mounted infixed relation to said support, a cap supply tube vertically movablewith respect to said support, a guide underlying said tube, a slidemounted in said guide for lateral movement with respect to said tube,said slide having a sloping portion, the end of which is below the planeof the floor of said tube, a

shoulder on said slide adjacent said sloping portion extending above theplane of said floor, a cap holder adjacent to and movable with said tubein vertical alignment with said cap-seating member, a crank having itsfulcrum vertically movable with said tube having one end secured to saidslide and the other end pivotally secured in fixed relation to saidsupport, and a table for lifting a container to receive a cap, saidtable carrying a lifter for raising said supply tube.

4. In a container capper, a unit slidably mounted on a verticalstationary shaft comprising a cap supply tube, a cap holder adjacentsaid tube, a slot connecting said tube and holder, a guide underlyingsaid tube, a slide mounted in said guide, a crank pivotally mounted onsaid unit and operatively connected to said slide and said shaft, atable for lifting a container to receive a cap and a lifter carried bysaid table for raising and lowering said unit on said shaft, said slidemoving a cap from said tube through said slot into the cap holder whenthe unit is lowered.

RALPH E. BAGBY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,360,463 Strandt Nov. 30, 1920 1,456,617 Canton May 29, 19231,711,540 Reifsnyder May 7, 1929 1,753,449 Swift, Jr. Apr. 8, 19301,809,842 Goodwin June 16, 1931 1,989,039 Geyer Jan. 22, 1935 2,264,738Blann Dec. 2, 1941

